Chinyoka and wife set up foundation to educate young girls to become lawyers and doctors
Harare based lawyer and prominent former student leader, Tinomudaishe Chinyoka and his wife Susan (a medical doctor), have set up a foundation that identifies disadvantaged young rural girls and pays for their education from Form 1 until the end of their medical/legal training.
The lawyer and doctor couple have set up “Shaking the Baobab Foundation” which aims to educate aspiring lawyers and doctors and challenging stereotypes through science and legal education for girls through the provision of scholarships and work based schemes.
Susan graduated with a degree in Medicine from the University of Zimbabwe and later studied Health Economics at the University of Cape Town (Masters) and got a PhD in Public Health from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has been working in HIV and TB research in South Africa, but moved to Zimbabwe this month to hopefully work for the government in any capacity.
Chinyoka rose to fame as a militant student leader at the University of Zimbabwe where he studied law. After decades in exile he went back to Zimbabwe, joined Zanu PF where he contested but lost in primary elections for the Gweru Urban seat. He was part of the legal team that defended President Emmerson Mnangagwa against the electoral court challenge by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.
Speaking to Nehanda Radio, Chinyoka said “We identify rural girls and pay for their education from Form 1 (though some will be identified later in higher grades) until the end of their medical/legal training. In return, we ask that recipients either work for the foundation or in the community where they come for two years prior to going into private practice in their chosen field.”
“I am a lawyer, Susan is a doctor. We set up the foundation with these chosen fields because we both can see the potential that exists for lawyers and doctors to be impactful in their communities. We are registering the Foundation as a Trust in Zimbabwe and it will open offices once registered.”
Chinyoka said “using personal funds, we have already identified the first two recipients, one in form 1 and the other in form 3. They were enrolled at St Patrick’s High School in Chiwundura last month.
“The one in Form 1 was going to a rural day secondary schools the first two terms. Then her family got offered a plot under the Land Reform program. The High School nearest to there is some 10km away. So, she had simply dropped out of school.
“The other one in Form 3, I saw her selling sweet potatoes on the side of the highway on a school day. Asked why she wasn’t in school, she said she was trying to raise money to buy exercise books.
“Bought her the books and arranged private lessons (she dropped out last year) and was given positive feedback on her progress. But kept seeing her after school hours selling mbambaira (sweet potatoes). Decided to start the work of the Foundation with her.
“We choose schools based on this criteria: the best high school in terms of results nearest to the girls’ families. This is because the Foundation still values the importance of maintaining the girls’ families’ involvement with their child and her education. A school too far away would be hard for them to access visits and parent teacher consultations,” Chinyoka told Nehanda Radio.
“Last week Susan was interviewing for a maid, in comes a girl with 6As at O’level! She didn’t get the job. But is going to be our 4th recipient. She will be starting A’Level next year, preps already underway. She wants to become a lawyer. One by one, one girl child at a time, we are shaking this Baobab until razungunuka. And we dare not fail. The task is huge, but it must be done,” Chinyoka added.
